Juni,

It sounds like your sons had a real struggle with this, but It does not mean that many many children are not misdiagnosed and medicated when they should not be.

This is why some ppl scoff at the idea of a kid having ADD ADHD... Stereotypes exist because there is some truth to them. You suffer discrimination because there are so many kids that don't have a physical problem but are diagnosed and medicated.

There are some, maybe many, parents that blame their childs poor behavior on a medical problem when it is really a result of poor parenting. That is not your situation, but you may face certain descrimination because of other parents mistakes. The world is not always fair

Actually parents usually deny that there is anything wrong with their child. There isn't anything "easy" about believing your child has a disability that is life altering. Quite the contrary, good parents take their children to the doctor and listen to their doctors advice, if medication will help, good parents take the prescription to the pharmacy and have it filled, just like you would an antibiotic for an ear infection.

Occasionally any ailment can be misdiagnosed, why does everyone pick on the disability ADHD? Because it's invisible, some people can't believe it if they can't see it. But there are tests and evaluatiuons that scientifically prove that a child has it. And that diagnosis is required before medication is given. But some people think they can walk into a childs home and pass judgement on the parents? When I hear statements of this sort I know one of two things exist you either do not have a child with ADHD or you do have a child with ADHD and are in denial. Do you walk into hospice and say, I don't think that person has cancer, he has hair! Educate yourself, or say nothing, please.

Hi tamz,
My oldest son, as I've mentioned before, has his share of problems. I can't deny that he has behavior issues. In fact, both my boys are pretty active and don't always listen. However, it's never been thought that either of them have ADHD. My oldest son's biggest challenge is in communication and processing. He often gets distracted, silly and even frustrated, which gets interpreted by many people as a behavior problem. Sometimes, though, it's defiant behavior which we have to nip in the bud.
Put in the right setting, my son is fine. However, if he's in an unstructured setting w/ a lot of noise and people, he becomes over-stimulated, and it seems he doesn't know how to act appropriately.
I've heard that kids who have learning challenges or psychological problems, but don't have ADD/ADHD, can still display behaviors associated w/ these disorders. That's why I think drs have such a tough time distinguishing between the disorders and determining who needs medication and who doesn't.
One thing I don't agree w/ is medicating very young children, unless it's absolutely necessary. Some drs and school personnel are so quick to push drugs on kids too early before they even know what's going on w/ these kids. I agree that it's needed in some cases, but not in all cases. I don't believe bad parenting has anything to do w/ conditions such as ADD and ADHD, although I do feel it can contribute to psycological problems and poor self-esteem which can lead to behavior problems as well.
I wish you the best w/ your son. It's a hard road, but we have to travel it. Hang in there.

Good pt, addvocate. I'm sure if my son's dr recommended meds, we probably wld consider her advice if we felt there was no other alternative and that it wld be helpful. I'm no expert in this area, but I'm learning as I go. I've also learned a lot from people, like Junieg, who have lived through the experience much longer than I have. We have to use our instincts as parents b/c each child is different. What works for one child, may not be the solution for another. It's not for us to pass judgement on others b/c we are not them, and we are not living their lives. I've been there, and honestly I don't know if it's best to educate others so they better understand your situation, put others in their place, or just ignore the ignorant comments altogether. Any way you look at it, it's a difficult position to be in.